Imagine if Our Political and Corporate Leaders Were as Good as Our Soccer Players

As I write this, my kids are preparing for the big game tonight against Russia. They are talking about their favourite players, setting out their jerseys, and most importantly deciding what we will eat for the big event. Most of Croatia is going through this ritual today.

By the time my column is published, we will already know if we are winners who will go on to play another game, or if we are winners who fought valiantly against Russia but in the end, must come home because we lost this one game.

Did you get that? We are winners, either way.

I have friends from Colombia, Canada, America, Germany and even Russia, who tell me that they are cheering for Croatia. Why? Because people love underdogs. People love seeing David beat Goliath. That's why we cheer for the Icelanders, the Irish, the Scots, the Uruguayans and it's the reason that many around the world are cheering for us. 

Can you imagine if we punched above our weight in other important spheres as we do in soccer? Our Prime Minister would be the Modri? of the political world - bravely leading the country with grit, creativity and heart. He would be such a natural talent that all of the world would seek his counsel on important issues like the looming international trade war, the migrant situation and the impact of artificial intelligence on national economic growth and security. Our best would be recognized as among the best in the world.

Imagine if our opposition leader left the world breathless with creative policy solutions, spurring the governing party on to even greater achievements, in the same way that Rakiti? ups Modri?'s game. The world would say, ?Not only does tiny Croatia have one great mind leading its nation, it has an opposition leader who is almost as great.” 

Not to be outdone by the political sector, our corporations would have oversized footprints of their own, in important economic sectors…sectors that have bright futures. Our corporate executives would be lauded for their ability to see ten steps ahead and praised for leading key developmental trends. They would be seen of paragons of excellence, foresight and virtue. They would go toe-to-toe against much bigger competitors from the United States, China and Germany and win. We would be among those credited with spearheading the economic transformation that is currently taking shape. 

One of Modri?'s strengths is his preternatural ability to transition. He is a master of switching from defense to offense, from left to right, at lightning speed. Like him, our corporate leaders would be seen as the best in the world at managing the transition from the old economy to the new economy based on AI, robotics and big data. Our corporate leaders would be called to speak at international conferences about managing change and driving growth and would be recruited to lead some of the best companies in the world.

Tonight, many of our political and corporate elite will be in Russia, cheering our soccer team to victory – regardless of the outcome of the game. We will join them from our couches at home. However, as proud as we are of our soccer team, we all secretly wish that we could also cheer on our political and corporate leaders to victories throughout the world. As farfetched as it seems today, I believe that that day will come.

Post Script: Croatia did win that game and the next one against England.

Image Credit: Reuters/Pixsell

This is a translation of an original column that was published in Croatia's largest newspaper, Ve?ernji List, on July 9, 2018. See my pearl trees for a complete gallery of my articles for Ve?ernji List and other publications, including The Wall Street Journal.